


But are you fine?

by TuliaNayeli



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, M/M, Post-Episode: s03e18-21 Sozin's Comet, Toph Beifong & Zuko Friendship, Toph Beifong-centric, found family in the most literal sense of the word, i appologize for the lack of Suki, just a cute lil something, she deserves better, she was just checking if the kyoshi warriors were ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27365395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuliaNayeli/pseuds/TuliaNayeli
Summary: The Gaang visits Zuko after the agni kai and Toph just really needs to make sure Zuko is fine."She’s not cuddling with Sparky, okay? She’s just checking if he’s as fine as he’s saying he is. Because he always says he’s fine and this boy hasn’t been fine since he was 13"
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), but both of it is v v subtle
Comments: 18
Kudos: 285





	But are you fine?

**Author's Note:**

> *arrives so so so late to the ATLA renaissance with iced coffee & a bagel*
> 
> To be fair I've been watching ATLA & reading fic for a good few months now, this is just my first work for the fandom that I'm posting lol
> 
> Title comes from the pit stop w/ Bob & Peppermint where Peppermint keeps saying "It's fashion" and Bob reacts with "But is it fashion?" --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moELDt-o8Kg&ab_channel=pcortezzi

They won. They _won_. I mean, Toph knew they would, obviously. But she’s still relieved they all made it out relatively unscratched. For a moment there, hanging onto Sokka’s hand she was not sure….

But no. She’s not thinking about that.

They’re fine. All of them are _fine_.

Sokka is already somewhat up and hobbling around with a cast around his leg, and Zuko is finally deemed “stable” enough for them to visit. She’s not sure what “stable” means, but she’s more than ready to see him.

It’s not that she was worried. But hearing her friend groan and sink down on the steps with a loud thud and unsteady heartbeat, it’s not something she’s going to forget soon. She just wants to make sure that he’s okay for herself. Not because she doesn’t trust Katara but just because-

-okay yes because she’s worried about Sparky.

~OoO~

“Hey guys.” Zuko’s voice sounds soft and more than a little pleased. But most importantly, it sounds steady. His voice doesn’t waver, and his heartbeat sounds strong.

And for a moment, Toph can hardly breathe. Relief crashes over her like a tidal wave, threatening to take her down. Her knees wobble and her blood is rushing in her ears. He’s okay. He’s safe.

All her friends are _safe_. She can relax now.

It’s a little much, letting go of the stress after running on nothing but adrenaline for the past 48 hours.

She almost misses Sokka stepping forward and grounding out a “You asshole”.

“Wh-”

“Sokka!”

“You absolute asshole. Don’t ever do that to me- to us again.”

It would’ve been a harsh statement if Sokka’s voice didn’t waver like that.

But she gets it. Anger and annoyance are easier to show than tears and worry.

“Yeah Sparky, you're not allowed to die yet. I prefer life with _two_ older brothers, thank you.”

And at the same time Sokka exclaims “Brothers?”, Aang just sounds hurt when he says “Two?”.

And someone’s mouth shuts with an audible click. Might be Katara, might be Zuko. Although Toph would bet all her scam money it’s Zuko because Katara _never_ shuts her mouth.

“Please, twinkle toes, you’re definitely the baby brother in this family.”

Katara’s voice sounds a little bit hesitant (heh, that’s a first). “You know they’re not really your brothers, right?”

And of course she knows this. She was not dropped on her head during the fight. She tells Katara as much, with a pointed look in what she’s pretty sure is Katara’s direction. But then again, she might be staring dramatically out a window. Who knows? She certainly doesn’t.

“I know we’re not officially family. But you told twinkle toes here that you and Sokka are his family now. And I kinda…Well I kinda thought I was part of that family as well?” She hates how hesitant her voice gets towards the end. Because she did think that, but given everybody’s reaction to what she thought was an innocent joke, maybe not.

Toph’s not shrinking in on herself. She’s _not._

“What?” she growls, trying to not sound self-conscious, as it grows quiet around her and _stays_ quiet.

Part of why she loves her friends so much, beside all the obvious reasons, is that none of them are every truly quiet. They talk, they huff (Zuko), they constantly move (Aang), and they are just so damn _expressive_. Their hearts beat loudly, their feelings are always exclaimed proudly to the world (okay, Zuko’s still working on that one) and their bodies are always moving.

It makes them that much easier to see, to read, to _know_. But now, for the first time, maybe since she met them, she has no idea what they are thinking. For the first time, she feels that not seeing their faces puts her at a serious disadvantage.

“Did I… did I say something wrong?”

And that is apparently all it takes for the world to start spinning again and her friends burst to life again.

It’s Zuko who says, “I just don’t think I am part…” Before getting interrupted, quite rudely (Toph approves), by Sokka who slaps a hand over his mouth and exclaims “Of course we’re a family. Even you, your royal sadness.”

And then it’s Katara who gripes at Sokka that he needs to be careful because Zuko is injured.

And then it’s Aang who nudges her and says, “You know I’m technically 112, right?”

Which of course, Sokka protests loudly.

“It doesn’t count if you’re sleeping in an iceberg for 100 years. You’re our baby boy. Well, mostly Katara’s.”

Two heartbeats _spike_ but Katara gripes out a “Don’t start with me, Sokka, we all know you want to be a lot more than _brothers_ with Zuko” and suddenly all four of her friends are trying to get their heartrates under control again.

Toph makes use of everybody’s distraction to climb into Zuko’s bed and make sure for herself that he really is okay.

She knows that in a few seconds, people are going to notice her new position and either complain that they want to cuddle Sparky (She’s not cuddling, okay? She’s just checking if he’s as fine as he’s saying he is. Because he always says he’s fine and this boy hasn’t been _fine_ since he was 13) or they’re going to complain that nobody should be cuddling him at all because he needs his rest (he feels pretty at ease right now from what she can tell, with one hand curled around her and one hand intertwined with Sokka’s).

And it’s going to be pandemonium again.

It’s going to be loud, and probably too much for Zuko, and it’s going to be chaos until they leave him to get some rest.

But it’s her family. And she wouldn’t change it for the world.

Besides, Toph _thrives_ in chaos.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!


End file.
